An Alabama judge has been suspended after being accused of significant misconduct and abuses of power, including delaying cases so she could take her dogs for walks. Probate Judge Yashiba Blanchard was named in a 120-page complaint filed last week by the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission, a body that investigates allegations of misconduct by state judges.
Allegations of Intimidation and Retaliation
The filing claims that Blanchard intimidated attorneys and retaliated against staff at Jefferson County Probate Court. One clerk allegedly missed the chance to say goodbye to her dying sister after being reassigned to a new court following a disagreement with the judge.
Pattern of Delays and Neglect
Blanchard, 52, was elected in 2024 and took the bench in January 2025. She presides over time-sensitive cases including adoptions, conservatorships, guardianships, involuntary commitments, trusts, wills, and estates. However, the complaint accuses her of regularly being late, delaying and rescheduling cases, and failing to perform her duties in a timely manner.
On one occasion, she allegedly left a patient languishing in hospital and separated from loved ones around Thanksgiving after postponing a hearing on her release. The patient was eventually discharged after the hospital begged Blanchard for help.
Specific Examples of Misconduct
The complaint detailed dozens of specific examples. It claimed Blanchard was 'sometimes 30-45 minutes late' to hear dockets, once telling staff she was late 'because she had three dogs to walk.' On another occasion, she was over an hour late, forcing patients, social workers, psychiatrists, and families to wait.
She was accused of abruptly delaying hearings for weeks, with real negative consequences. In one case, a patient's involuntary commitment hearing was rescheduled from November 18 to December 2. The hospital emailed Blanchard three times requesting expediting to allow the patient to be home for Thanksgiving. The hospital warned of 'undue emotional distress' and unnecessary costs. Blanchard finally held the hearing on November 20 after a third email described the patient crying in bed.
Case Backlog and Staff Retaliation
The complaint listed 33 specific cases regarding estates, conservatorships, and guardianships pending for over a year, despite some being routine. Blanchard allegedly removed cases from law firms based on personal disagreements and gave them to others.
Additionally, the complaint stated a pattern of bullying and retaliation against probate court staff from her first day. Blanchard, who is black, made racially charged remarks about white chief clerk Amanda Reid. She allegedly asked a staffer if they liked Reid, and when the employee replied yes, Blanchard said, 'Oh, I forgot you all like kissing white ass.'
Retaliatory Transfers
Blanchard regularly reassigned staff from Birmingham courthouse to Bessemer, which had a significantly lower caseload. The complaint alleges transfers were retaliatory, as Birmingham had more than four times the open cases. When staff requested transfer back, Blanchard ignored them. One clerk asked to return to Birmingham, noting her reassignment added 40 minutes to her commute and made visiting her dying sister difficult. Blanchard never responded, and shortly after, the clerk's sister died. The clerk allegedly couldn't say goodbye because she was stuck in traffic driving from Bessemer.
Bullying Attorneys
The judge is also accused of bullying attorneys by removing them as conservators, holding them in contempt without legitimate reasons, and filing unfounded state bar complaints and baseless police reports. She allegedly removed attorney Ripon Britton from a law firm as conservator simply because she 'did not trust him.'
Next Steps
Blanchard has until June 25 to officially respond to the complaint, which is not an indication of guilt. After that, the Court of the Judiciary will determine whether to remove her from office, suspend her without pay, or censure her. The Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission stated they cannot provide information about pending investigations. The Daily Mail has reached out to Blanchard and Jefferson County Probate Court for comment.
